European Politics

Perun said:
Alright. I logged on here today after weeks of absence to see if there's any clean-up work I need to do. And then I find that speculation about my leaving has been used as an argument. I don't know who @Krampus is or what he believes to know about me to make a statement about me. So let me set this straight:

I removed my persona from this board after over 20 years of posting because I have been finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate certain other members and their behaviour. Since this is a "me" problem and these people remain blissfully unaware of the hurtful nature of their conduct towards me even after I point it out directly, I came to the conclusion that I am no longer wanted around here. This is a good fit, because I no longer want to be around here.

There is nothing else to it.
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My only comment about you was the intended compliment that you are very adroit at respectful debate.

I’ve no idea who you are or what issues you’ve been having but wish you well, sincerely. You present yourself as an intelligent and rational person. The people who post here are worse off for your absence.

That said, Brigs, a mod (and a good one who seems like maybe the only reasonable one in the virtual room sometimes) literally talked about the possibility of shutting down the politics threads. I wasn’t misattributing that comment to you.
 
Vaenyr said:
Let's get something straight, because I'm tired of the hypocrisy.

When Krampus/Sheriff of Huddersfield originally posted, I pushed back against some of his claims and wanted him to post some kind of source to support some of the more outlandish or inflammatory claims. He didn't like that and got increasingly more erratic, to the point of constantly trying to provoke me, even in other threads (like the "New users, who are you?" thread or whatever the hell it's called). Since then he kept trying to provoke me, which makes the accusation of me wanting the attention quite funny. This eventually led to Sheriff/Krampus rage-quitting the forum. In other words, a member who kept attacking and provoking me left the forum due to my behavior. Let's remember this.

At the same time we had members like Magnus and Judas complain about the mods banning people. Magnus in particular made it a point to keep calling me out and claiming that conservative users who'd be acting like me would've been banned, without ever explaining how he came to this conclusion. It's incredibly puzzling, considering the mods have repeatedly explained that they have not done that and aren't doing that. Yet despite that, this blatant lie was pushed constantly and he kept ignoring whenever I asked for any kind of evidence. So much so that Perun decided to quit the politics threads. So, ironically enough, despite the claims of folks like Krampus, it wasn't me who ran off a moderator; it was Judas. Not only that, we have Sheriff returning to this thread after having admitted that he went too far before and that he wanted to let things rest, to what, rile me up? Get me banned?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If you think my posts aren't in line with forum rules, report them. It's that simple. If the mods find something questionable they can remove it. They can give me a warning. Hell, if they decide to ban me, then so be it. If that's not enough: Use the ignore function, that's what it's for. There is no pride in never using it. I don't get why so many have to make a show of "ooooh, Vaenyr's such a troll, he's the only one I ever put on ignore". Congrats, I guess? Should I be flattered? Thank my friends and family without whom I wouldn't be here? I thought I was the one who is supposedly "virtue signaling", yet we have multiple members here doing exactly that.

Enough jokes. Not everyone can get along with everyone. That's not realistic. I have a few people on ignore. I know other members ignore folks other than me as well. It's not a contest. Yes, I'm not the most pleasant person to interact with. I never claimed otherwise. But to try to pin all hostility on me, while ignoring who keeps engaging with me and in what way, is simply disingenuous.

With this I have said all I had to say on the matter. Go ahead and report whatever you wanna report and let's be done with it. This constant circling back and accusations of trolling (especially by someone who came back to attack me, while I'm contributing to a variety of threads on the forum) are getting quite boring. Virtual XI's still a masterpiece.
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Tl;dr.
 
Magnus said:
Blasphemy!
Cried was/is intelligent, fun and pleasure to communicate with, and never, ever, annoying in a way even remotely similar to what we've got here.
Trickster vs Puritan crusader, in a way.
Apart from that, thank you for your posts.
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Cried seemed to have a special affinity for Buckethead, Dave Murray, and snark. Perhaps I was too harsh in my judgement. Cried was mostly harmless.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
And therein, maybe, lies the problem?
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No, were this a 1:1 beef old-school Brooklyn style with diss tracks and cliques, Hennessy and hootchies, perhaps.

However, in my absence, the dysfunction and tomfoolery manifests itself just the same. With certain characters at its cynosure.

You lot are mildly Shakespearian, like heavy metal Hamlet.

This is why Maiden fans can’t have nice things like political forums.

Oh wait, European politics — what’s everyone’s take on Luxembourg's tax bracket individualization?
 
I mean, Roth projects a €900M-€1Bn reduction in Luxembourg’s government revenues but, I suppose through income index forecasting and perhaps Net Present Value calculations, maintains that shortfall to number only €300M-€500M.

I don’t know, were I a Luxembourgian in Tax Class 2, I’d be a little perturbed as my spouse and I would be taxed individually rather than jointly under this plan.

Why even get married, no?

Anyway some may speculate this tax reconfiguration as the work of the invisible hand of the Kachkéis lobby.

I reject such calumny! They’ve no material stake in this that I can fathom. Cui prodest? At this stage, I’m unsure.

In any case, history may judge Roth as either the herald of Christian-Democratic Social Market Economics or a wayward buffoon.

I’m sorry to bring such an emotional topic to this forum but I can not maintain my silence in the face of such fiscal upheaval. I stand with Luxembourg Tax Class 2. A ~2.2 point projected GDP growth bedamned!!!!
 
The exact reason mods have thought about closing politics threads is because of the repeat pattern of a descent from reasoned debate into needling other members and eventually personal attacks.

The moderators also can and will take action against individuals who break forum rules and spoil the enjoyment of the forum for others. Its strongly advised that everyone reads the rules post and stays aware of this when posting.
 
Brigantium said:
The exact reason mods have thought about closing politics threads is because of the repeat pattern of a descent from reasoned debate into needling other members and eventually personal attacks.

The moderators also can and will take action against individuals who break forum rules and spoil the enjoyment of the forum for others. Its strongly advised that everyone reads the rules post and stays aware of this when posting.
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Thanks for keeping it grounded, Brigs.

I know, it’s tough to remain civil, particularly while the MEP debate surrounding gas storage regulations rages in the EU, polarizes opinions, tests friendships, and possibly causes divorces as arguments get heated.

Some of a more regulatory slant probably embrace the mandatory gas storage fill rate reduction from 90% to 83%.

Charismatic, controversial, and media savvy politicians like MEP Jens Geier seem in favor. He even wants to increase penalties for noncompliance. But is this just more of Geier’s showmanship and a cry for media attention? Possibly pandering to the Gen Z vote?

Sure, a lowered fill rate limit eases market pressure but what about supply gaps come winter? Perhaps market flexibility is the way.

As with all topics here, I know politics stirs emotions and may cause enmity. Please, please, please, let’s not have this topic devolve to ad hominem attacks, profile blocking, and dramatic forum exits.

Let’s discuss it like adults.
 
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I'm not aware of any forum-splitting controversy around gas storage limits.

I am conscious of repeat episodes of polarised arguments, playing devil's advocate, and personal attacks, and would strongly advise ALL posting in politics threads - as everywhere - to read and give ongoing consideration to the forum rules.
 
Brigantium said:
I'm not aware of any forum-splitting controversy around gas storage limits.

I am conscious of repeat episodes of polarised arguments, playing devil's advocate, and personal attacks, and would strongly advise ALL posting in politics threads - as everywhere - to read and give ongoing consideration to the forum rules.
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Thanks, Brigs.

I was just thanking you for your comment and introducing the gas fill regulation as an on-topic discussion for the European politics thread.

Between that and the Luxembourg tax individualization debate, I can imagine this crowd having a few feisty takes that I hope can remain civil.

Is it as polarizing as the DEFRA funding moratorium on the SFI scheme in the UK thread? Probably not. Hoping we don’t see that one spiral, either.
 
So, the Czechs had an election and ended up choosing a very controversial figure. In other words—they fucked up big time. Pro-russian propaganda and influence campaigns clearly work. And then I saw the polls out of Germany—AfD is surging. But of course, the refrain is always: “It’s all fine, nothing to worry about. Let’s just keep walking in the same direction.”

Meanwhile, Europe can’t even shoot down drones near airports or properly seize russian ships. The same impotence and endless doubt. The grinding wheels of bureaucracy. Aaargh. Isn’t it time to finally wake up? To act strong and decisively? Ban pro-russian ideology and symbols. Ban their TV propaganda. Ban pro-russian politicians. Hell, maybe even TikTok. Seize shadow fleet ships in Baltic Sea. Belgium refuses to seize russian assets because it might “hurt financial stability” or “scare investors.” M***. France, Belgium, and others are still buying russian liquefied gas. M***. They still don’t get it. Every day that passes, russia divides us a little more. And one day, they’ll conquer us. United, Europe has strength. Divided, we’re toast.

Normal politicians need to grow a pair and act. If they don’t, soon we’ll get leaders who do have a pair—but they’ll be less democratic, less progressive. They’ll echo the darkest instincts of the mob. The so-called “non-escalation” approach toward russia doesn’t work. The Kremlin will keep poking and interfering, because they know how fragile democracies are—every four years, another election, another chance to flip the whole direction of a country.

What if AfD takes power in Germany in the next cycle? We’ll be fucked. Eastern Europe for sure. Exciting times.

Edit: And then there’s Frau Merkel—she visited Hungary. Hungary! Orban, who’s anti-Ukraine and openly licks putin’s boots. That speaks volumes about her. She very well may be yet another russian asset.
 
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Azas said:
So, the Czechs had an election and ended up choosing a very controversial figure. In other words—they fucked up big time. Pro-russian propaganda and influence campaigns clearly work. And then I saw the polls out of Germany—AfD is surging. But of course, the refrain is always: “It’s all fine, nothing to worry about. Let’s just keep walking in the same direction.”
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As someone who lives in Germany I can guarantee you the refrain is anything but "it's all fine". We're all angry and frustrated.

Unfortunately the CDU is the coalition leader, the same party that led Germany for 16 years and which is only interested in keeping the status quo. A lot (most?) of Germany's current issues are due to the CDU's governance in the last two decades. And now they are in power again, so we're seeing everything freezing once again. It's definitely better than the AFD, no doubt about that, but trust me when I say that essentially no one in Germany is happy about our current politics.

Azas said:
Normal politicians need to grow a pair and act. If they don’t, soon we’ll get leaders who do have a pair—but they’ll be less democratic, less progressive. They’ll echo the darkest instincts of the mob. The so-called “non-escalation” approach toward russia doesn’t work. The Kremlin will keep poking and interfering, because they know how fragile democracies are—every four years, another election, another chance to flip the whole direction of a country.
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I guess it depends on what you consider "normal" politicians. Most countries currently either have conservative parties ruling or are on their way towards that and those parties aren't known for disruption. Many of those parties aren't interested in taking a stance against Russia in any way, and some cases are even friendly towards Russia.

Azas said:
And one day, they’ll conquer us.
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As shitty as everything is right now, this I don't see happening. Russia is great at shadow tactics, at sowing division, at interfering. But they aren't half as strong as they like to pretend. We've seen their military capabilities in Ukraine. I believe as soon as they start another war front they're toast. They simply don't have the resources and the men to take over Europe. I know that this doesn't really help, since it doesn't change anything, but I also believe we shouldn't give in to their fearmongering and the promised doom. It's only a matter of time until Putin will finally die. Chances are high that Russia will crumble afterwards in the ensuing power struggle.
 
So, Merkel gave an interview—she’s promoting her book and saying all sorts of things. Sure, Bild’s headline might’ve been clickbait, but all I can say about Frau Merkel is this: what a fucking rotten, evil b****! putin’s comforter, acting like he bears no responsibility whatsoever. Fuck!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1975153046876565680
 
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www.dailymail.co.uk

Merkel says Poland and Baltic states responsible for war in Ukraine

In an explosive interview, Merkel claim said she blamed Poland and the Baltic states for the severance of diplomatic ties between the countries months later.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk

While I do think she simply is wrong in making this a factor (and to be clear, she has lamented Putin for the war many times before), I think you're taking the rage-and-click-bait and running with it.
 
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